After leading Cal State LA volleyball to the NCAA Championship and being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, Emily Elliott has been selected as the 2023-24 CCAA Female Athlete of the Year. She is the first Golden Eagle to receive this award, which is voted on by the conference's 12 Sports Information Directors, since Nicole Duncan-Chance in 2001-02.
 
Great seasons come and go, but Emily Elliott's 2023 campaign was one of legend. The junior from Costa Mesa led NCAA Division II and set new CCAA records with 606 kills and 5.69 points per set. She also rewrote the record book for kills per set in the rally era (4.77) and ranked third nationally with 72 aces.
 
Elliott guided Cal State LA (24-10, 15-3 CCAA) to a second consecutive CCAA regular-season title, marking the first time since 1999 and 2000 that the Golden Eagles have won back-to-back conference championships. She led the conference in nearly all hitting categories and was named the CCAA Player of the Year by the league's coaches.
 
As good as she was in the regular season, Elliott took her game to the next level in the NCAA playoffs. Cal State LA dropped only one set at the NCAA West Regional, with Elliott earning all-tournament honors. Elliott put together a near-flawless match in the championship match against tournament host Cal State San Bernardino. She had 22 kills with only two errors (34 swings) and six aces to lead CSLA to its second consecutive NCAA West Regional Championship.
 
At the final site, and with the NCAA Championship in sight, Elliott was most times the best player on the court. She had a match-high 30 kills in a grinding, five-set win over a Wayne State team that featured three All-Americans in the opener. Elliott closed out the tournament with 27 kills and six aces to defeat West Texas A&M and claim the 2023 NCAA Volleyball Championship. She received the honor of Most Outstanding Player after a remarkable 76 kills, 12 aces, and 93 points in 12 sets during the three matches at the championship site.
 
Elliott earned numerous individual honors along the way, including first-team All-America honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and D2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA). Both organizations named her the West Region Player of the Year.  
 
Elliott is the first Cal State LA volleyball student-athlete named CCAA Female Athlete of the Year. She is the seventh Golden Eagle to receive this honor, including Petra Juraskova (track & field), who won back-to-back years (1995-97). This is the third time in the last four seasons the SIDs have selected a volleyball student-athlete for the honor. CCAA Athletes of the Year >>>